Venue: Masu Sushi & Robata in NE Minneapolis is one of our favorite places, and all of its recent national attention validates it as a top-notch sushi joint. Local design firm Shea has set up a fun and playful dining room that is highly conducive to a happy hour environment and the menu of discounted items and cocktails really drives that home.

Beer, sushi, and a patio.

During happy hour at Masu, you'll find $3 glasses of house sake, $4 tap beers, select wines at $5 a glass, and its shoshu gummy sours only $6. In addition to the drink menu, a wide variety of discounted menu items range from $2 to $11. One of the best bargains is the $9.50 bowl of pork belly ramen that, during happy hour only, can be upgraded to come with a PBR tall boy for $2 more. It's like a Minneapolis hipsters dream come true.

Late nights at Masu also get their own special menu, which features several of the same items and prices as the happy hour menu, with a few subtle differences. During most of the week, the late-night menu and happy hour overlap, so you can get the best of both worlds.

One must-try item on both the late-night and happy hour menus are the steamed buns. They don't appear on the normal Masu menu and are available only during these times. The pork belly steamed bun is a thing of beauty. Tender, slow-roasted pork belly sits atop a fluffy, pillowy steamed bun and is paired with a crisp piece of lettuce, shredded carrot, and daikon radish, all topped with a small drizzle of hoisin sauce.

Masu also offers a special on its robata. For $7 you can choose from a small selection of grilled skewers. The pork sausage and the bacon and quail egg robata are seriously delicious.

Masu also has several varieties of sushi on special, which always makes for great happy hour or late-night grazing. On the happy hour menu you'll find several varieties of rolls (the late-night menu even offers a few specially priced nigiri). The classic spicy tuna roll is a favorite. It's hard to go wrong with the classics, but if you're interested in something a little different, check out the firecracker roll.

Verdict: The happy hour at Masu is one of the more unique setups in town. The menu features a little of everything that Masu does so well, plus a couple of unique dishes found exclusively on the late-night and happy hour menus. Masu Sushi & Robata is a great place to kick back and relax. We especially recommend sitting out on their sidewalk patio -- it adds a great people-watching dimension to the overall experience.

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The comment to "avoid this place" couldn't be more wrong. The food is top notch, nothing fast foodsy about it. Sushi is great, bacon wrapped quail eggs, and pork-belly ramen, all to die for. I've had the pork-belly ramen three or four times, and it gets better every time!